7 Ways to Use Superfood Broccoli Stalks

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Broccoli stalks along with the florets is an old-fashioned, traditional food that people have enjoyed for many centuries.

It’s a great choice for staying healthy because it is really one of the original superfoods.

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Low in calories, high in fiber and packed with nutrition, stalks of broccoli plants are an excellent and delicious addition to any diet.

Here are just a few of broccoli’s many winning qualities:

  • Broccoli is rich in Isothiocyanates. This phytonutrient is excellent when it comes to avoiding and battling cancer.
  • Broccoli contains a full range of vitamins and minerals including A, B6, C, E, selenium, folate, choline, copper, zinc, magnesium and calcium
  • Broccoli is fiber rich (especially the stalks) so it supports good elimination and detoxification of the body.

For all of these reasons, it is very unwise to waste any part of this nutritional powerhouse.



In this article, we will share 7+ basic ways you can use broccoli stems to add nutrients, flavor and interest to your daily diet. Read on to learn more about these cruciferous vegetable from the cabbage family.

Add Value & Flavor To Your Everyday Menus

Aside from making the most of your food dollar by eating every bite of this cruciferous vegetables including the stems, you’ll be happy to know that the stems are very tasty and can be prepared in a number of interesting and exciting ways.

In fact, you will probably be surprised to learn just how versatile broccoli stems really are.

When you peel off the tough outer skin, the tasty broccoli inside the stem can be used just like any other tasty veggie.

You can munch on the whole peeled stem as a snack. It can also be sliced, diced or grated to be added raw to salads or served with dip.

There are lots of ways to cook broccoli stalks. You can simply peel and roast the whole stalks with other veggies in the oven.

Slice or dice the stalks to steam, sauté or stir fry with other veggies, chicken, meat, fish or tofu.

No matter how you prepare your broccoli stems, you are sure to find them a colorful interesting addition to a wide variety of dishes.

Dice It Up & Toss It In!

Peel and dice a broccoli stem and sauté the pieces with some red bell pepper, red pepper flakes, onion and garlic in preparation for scrambling eggs.

Once the veggies are tender crisp, just pour your prepared eggs over them and scramble lightly or cook over a low flame, add grated cheese and fold your eggs over to make a tasty omelet.

The colorful veggies add flavor, nutrition and fiber to your Sunday brunch.

Diced broccoli stems make an excellent addition to pasta salads. Add the pieces raw or steam them a bit in a steaming basket to make them a little less crisp.

Be careful never to overcook the steamed broccoli stems or broccoli florets because doing so destroys a great deal of nutritional value and robs this tasty veggie of its bright, attractive dark green color.

Add diced, raw broccoli stalk to the batter next cooking time you make cornbread or hush puppies for extra color, flavor , fiber and nourishment. Add olive oil for lemon juice or additional texture.

Grate Broccoli Stalks For Broccoli Slaw, Coleslaw Or Pasta Salad

Use raw, grated broccoli stems and grated carrots to make broccoli slaw using the broccoli instead of cabbage.

This will work with any coleslaw slaw recipe. You might also simply add grated broccoli to your favorite coleslaw recipe.

If you use red cabbage, you will have a very festive dish, indeed.

Sliced Broccoli Stalks Make A Great Addition To Soups, Stir-Fry & Veggie Platters

You can add sliced broccoli stems to just about any kind of soup or make a broccoli soup itself. Just sauté it along with the other veggies and meat or poultry (if used) before adding your broth, spices and other ingredients.

In fact, you can use tasty broccoli stalks in almost any recipe that calls for carrots, celery or bell peppers. Use it instead of these or in addition to them.

Sliced broccoli stems make a great addition to a veggie platter. You can slice them crossways for raw broccoli chips or slice them into strips or sticks.

They add color and interest nestled in between the red bell peppers and the carrot sticks.

Sliced into broad strips, raw broccoli stems make a crunchy, tasty addition to all sorts of sandwiches (especially grilled cheese).

A few strips of raw broccoli stalk and some carrot sticks make an interesting and unusual edible garnish.

Puree Broccoli Stalks For Baby & For You!

Puree diced, raw broccoli stems along with other tasty veggies to create a delicious, nutritious green smoothie.

Peel and steam the stalks until tender then puree them to make baby food for your toddler.

Use These Easy Healthy Ideas Boost Your Flavor And Nutrition Quotient

The healthiest diet is one that consists of at least half fresh fruits and veggies, and there’s really almost no veggie that is better for you than broccoli.

When you learn to make the most of every bite of the broccoli you purchase by dicing, slicing, pureeing, sautéing, stir-frying and generally adding it to any and all veggie dishes, you can give your veggie intake a big boost, enjoy lots of high quality fiber and nutrition along with a healthy dose of good eating!

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